A.B.L.E. is proud that our feature film, The Curse of the Tempest Jewel, was an official selection for the 2015 Chicago Onscreen Local Film Showcase!

This festival is an initiative from the Chicago Park District to enhance the offerings of the annual summer tradition, Movies in the Parks, and feature a selection of locally produced and Chicago- focused independent features, documentaries and shorts with free public screenings in the city that inspired them.

A selection team comprised of members of Chicago's film community and the Park District reviewed submissions from several local filmmakers and selected the final line-up of 18 films. These were curated into unique evenings of film: "Chicagoland Thumbnails", "Change the Reel: Activism In and Through Art," and "Reel2Real Teen Film Festival. The Curse of the the Tempest Jewel was part of a double-bill celebrating "New School Noir" along with a 10 minute short, Private Eye, which also centered around a young private detective. We played Sunday July 12th at Norwood Park and August 2nd at McGuane Park.

Our actors always love watching themselves and each other onscreen. For our first screening at Norwood Park, the Rough & Tumbles sat together and laughed and quoted their scene. Ben treated the crowd at McGuane to some live dancing during "Ballin' the Jack" (see video at right). Rachel attended both screenings and applauded for her friends after their dream sequences, and gave a big "THAT'S ME!" every time her character, Veronica, appeared onscreen.

Beyond that, the Chicago Onscreen Local Showcase was a tremendous opportunity for us to raise awareness about our program and to reach out to some new communities. McGuane Park runs several programs for individuals with special needs, many of whom were in attendance. We got some tremendous press and made a few new fans.

Thank you to the crowds who braved mosquitoes and impending thunderstorms to cheer on our actors. We hope to have more public screenings soon.

Intros at Norwood Park

Writer/Director/Producer Lawrence Kern addresses the crowd before the show at Norwood Park

The Dread Pirate Mange

The big pirate scene on the big screen!

End Credits

Our credits start up at Norwood Park

Supporters at McGuane Park

Some of our cast, families, and supporters stake out their picnic spots at McGuane Park

Katie & Ben

Ben (Philoneus Chance) and Katie (Producer & Lead Teaching Artist) are so excited for the screening to start!

Setting up at McGuane

Park District Staff prepare the inflate the giant screen at McGuane Park

The Dread Pirate Mange

The read Pirate Mange finds the jewel

Sassy Beyonce

Sassy Beyonce hits the big screen

Rachel & Ben

Rachel (Veronica Snowshine) and Ben (Philoneus Chance) after the show.

Ever wished you could visit one of our rehearsals and meet the team that makes A.B.L.E. possible? Our blog lets you do just that! We take you behind the scenes for all of our rehearsals, profile our facilitators and actors, and give details on special events.

New content is posted every week so check back often to stay up-to-date with all things A.B.L.E.!